In recent years the population of honey bee colonies has been declining due to mites and the many diseases that afflict honey bees. Presently, State agriculture departments are looking to increase the number of amateur hobbyist keepers. The United States Agriculture Department estimates that over the last two decades the number of commercial beehives fell to 2.4 million, down a quarter, and the loss of beekeepers by one-half. Manipulating honey bees effectively in a managed setting requires beekeepers to acquire a thorough understanding of honey bee biology and the treatment and prevention of diseases. Honey bee management also requires knowledge of apiary establishment, hive construction and beekeeping equipment.
Advancement in hive construction came in the 19th Century with the invention of a movable comb hive by Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth, utilizing the discovery by Francois Huber that there is a specific natural spacing by honey bees between their wax combs, Langstroth designed a rectangular hive box containing a series of parallel wooden frames placed within the box leaving a space of 5 to 8 mm, or ¼ to ⅜″ between the frames. This measurement is known as “the bee space”. It is now a standard element incorporated in movable frame hive designs. When the hive design incorporates this bee space there is less wax and propolis buildup in the hive by the honey bees, thus allowing easier manipulation of hive components. The ability to remove and inspect frames (or naturally formed comb) from the hive box is a legal inspection requirement for all managed hives in the United States. The bee space also provides an access between components for the frame removal process. Wax and propolis deposited by honey bees will bind the frames strongly to the hive boxes and to adjacent frames. Removal of frames often requires a tool inserted into the bee space to separate and remove the frames for inspection of cells and for harvesting honey.
Hive tools with combined edges and shapes for removing the frames and prying apart movable hive sections are known to exist. Such prying and cutting tools are commonly shaped from flat ⅛″ steel sheet and may include a hook to facilitate leverage for lifting the frame ear, and a blade for cutting the propolis and bees wax that may cement together any of the movable sections of a hive. Prying and scraping tools designed for non-beekeeping purposes are also used by beekeepers and are often preferred over currently available hive tools.
This application for United States patent discloses a unique hive tool supplying a specific functional need of the bee keeping industry. United States patents listed below disclose none of the hive tools or pry bar tools are specifically designed for all the particular dimensional elements of hive frames necessary to successfully accomplish the required tasks and expedite the beekeeper's work.
U.S. Pat. No. D248,086 for HIVE TOOL, issued Jun. 6, 1978 to William T. Maxant discloses the ornamental design of a hive tool, showing a combination cutting and prying tool shaped from a flat plane of material. A handle with two implements on opposing ends, one with honed edges on two adjacent sides of a 90 degree rectangular blade and the opposing end showing an arc shaped hook to be smaller than the width of the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,593,304 for HIVE TOOL, issued Apr. 15, 1952 to William H. Howard discloses a hive tool comprising a flat shank portion having one end portion disposed at an angle to the plane of the shank and a coplanar lug portion flange, projecting laterally beyond the width of the shank portion at respective sides.
U.S. Pat. No. 865,062 for BEE-KNIFE, issued Sep. 3, 1907 to Isaac F. Sawyer discloses a tool consisting of a bar-form handle, having at one end a blade with a thin edge extending parallel to the handle, and a thin, wedge shaped edge extending perpendicular to the handle and having at its other end a hook.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,559,868 for TOOL FOR APIARISTS, issued Nov. 3, 1925 to Dean S. Hall discloses a tool for apiarists consisting of a utility tool with an elongated longitudinal shank having on one end an angled section disposed to one side of the longitudinal axis and on the other end a straight blade section. An apparatus for gripping frames by mechanical means, including movable parts, is connected to the shank handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,657 for WOODWORKING TOOL FOR PREPARING A WOOD SURFACE FOR FINISHING, issued Dec. 22, 1998 to Richard S. List, et al. discloses a wood working tool comprising an elongated handle with a straight spreader element on one end and a scraper element on the other end inclined longitudinal to the long axis of the handle less than 90 degrees.
Similar United States patents that disclose hand tools with sections for prying, pulling, or lifting and in combination with tools used for cutting or scraping include: U.S. Pat. No. 3,091,852 to Mathew De Larber, Jun. 4, 1963; U.S. Pat. No. 2,496,280 to Claude A. Endicott, Feb. 7, 1950; U.S. Pat. No. 1,434,744 to Eldred M. Hibbler, Nov. 7, 1922; U.S. Pat. No. 1,261,844 to Chambers S. Orr, Apr. 9, 1918; U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,266 to Richard J. Macor, Dec. 3, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,684 to Robert H. Youngren, et al., Oct. 7, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,429 to Zareh Khachatoorian, Sep. 28, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,172 to Kenneth W. Hreha, Dec. 9, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,264 to Peter Giambro, Jun. 21, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,416 to Patrick Hand, Jul. 4, 1989; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,134,574 to Aldor S. E. Reuterfors, May 26, 1964.
A problem with the prior art exists whereby there is a degree of difficulty with the technique required for the operation of frame removal. There is a need for an improved combination hive tool to efficiently perform that operation in a user-friendly manner. None of these prior patents disclose or suggest the novel combination tool of the present invention.